UNRAVELLING THE COMPLEXITIES OF CARCINOGENESIS NLM AIDSLINE Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 1986. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

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UNRAVELLING THE COMPLEXITIES OF CARCINOGENESIS

Symp Soc Gen Microbiol; 37:1-21 1985. Unique Identifier : AIDSLINE ICDB/86622288
Weiss RA; Inst. of Cancer Research, Chester Beatty Laboratories, Fulham; Road, London SW3 6JB, England

Abstract: The genetic basis of cancer and the concepts of multistage and multifactorial carcinogenesis are reviewed under the following headings: somatic mutation in oncogenesis, specific genes involved in oncogenesis, synergism between oncogenes, multistage oncogenesis and tumor progression, and multifactorial oncogenesis. Specific classes of genes involved in oncogenesis are (1) viral genes essential for replication, which also contribute to cell transformation, (2) viral genes superfluous for replication, derived from host cellular genes, (3) cellular genes identified by homology to retrovirus oncogenes, (4) cellular genes at sites of viral integration, (5) cellular genes at sites of chromosome translocation, (6) cellular genes identified by neoplastic transformation DNA transfer, (7) cellular genes activated or repressed in virus-transformed and other neoplastic cells, and (8) cellular genes whose products interact with those of viral oncogenes. Three examples of viral neoplasia in man that demonstrate multifactorial etiology are nasopharyngeal carcinoma of the undifferentiated type (NPC), which is closely associated with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV); primary hepatocellular carcinoma, which correlates with areas of endemism of hepatitis B virus (HBV); and adult T-cell leukemia-lymphoma, a distinct form of malignancy of OKT4+ T-cells in which the incidence of disease precisely correlates with geographic regions and communities infected with human T-cell leukemia virus-I. Immunodeficiency is a risk factor in several human cancers that have been to some degree associated with viruses. Viruses have emerged as major etiological agents in human cancer with the elucidation of the role of EBV in Burkitt's lymphoma and NPC, HBV in primary liver cancer, and new strains of papilloma virus in cervical neoplasia and the discovery of oncogenic human retroviruses. (70 Refs)
Keywords: Cell Transformation, Neoplastic Cocarcinogenesis Genes, Viral Hepatitis B Herpesviridae Infections Human HTLV-BLV Viruses Leukemia, Lymphocytic/ETIOLOGY Liver Neoplasms/ETIOLOGY Mutation Nasopharyngeal Neoplasms/ETIOLOGY Neoplasms/*ETIOLOGY *Oncogenes Oncogenic Viruses/*GENETICS Retroviridae Infections MEETING PAPER REVIEW

KWDcelltransformation,neoplasticcocarcinogenesisgenes,viralhepatitisbherpesviridaeinfectionshumanhtlv-blvvirusesleukemia,lymphocytic/etiologyliverneoplasms/etiologymutationnasopharyngealneoplasms/etiologyneoplasms/KWDetiologyKWDoncogenesoncogenicviruses/KWDgeneticsretroviridaeinfectionsmeetingpaperreview
861030
M86A0335

Copyright © 1986 - National Library of Medicine. Reproduced under license with the National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

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